Pizza Caprese

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Pizza Caprese

May 21, 2011 1:34am

By Pietro Barbagallo

Serves 4

20 mins preparation

30 mins cooking plus proving

Pizza Caprese

“This pizza embraces the classic flavours of a Caprese salad and the freshness of the Italian summer. Throw some cacciatore salami into the mix and it makes it heartfelt, it connects people with the mother country.” Pietro Barbagallo, Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria, Melbourne, and Mortadella, Carlton, Vic

Ingredients

400 gm canned diced tomato, drained (juice discarded)

375 gm buffalo mozzarella (about 3 small), thinly sliced

100 gm cacciatore salami, thinly sliced

250 gm cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup basil (loosely packed)

To serve: extra-virgin olive oil

Pizza dough

2 tbsp olive oil

7 gm dried yeast (1 sachet)

1 tsp caster sugar

450 gm plain flour (3 cups)

Method

Main

1

For pizza dough, combine olive oil, yeast, sugar, ½ tsp salt and 350ml lukewarm water in a bowl and set aside until foamy (2-3 minutes). Gradually add flour, mix until a rough dough forms, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size (1-1½ hours). Knock back dough, knead lightly, then cover and set aside until doubled in size (45 minutes-1 hour)

2

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 250C. Place two heavy-based oven trays in oven to heat. Divide dough into quarters, then form four 30cm-diameter circles with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin and place each on a piece of baking paper. Spread canned tomato over bases, top with mozzarella and salami, then bake in batches on heated trays, using baking paper for support, until golden and cooked through, swapping trays halfway through cooking (6-8 minutes). Repeat with remaining pizze. Scatter pizze with cherry tomatoes and basil, drizzle with oil, season to taste and serve hot.